Does anyone have their children involved in these groups? I have a five yr. old and am looking into putting her into one of these groups.

Wife of my best friend, Mom to two precious preschoolers, one precious newborn and one precious memory~I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way...I will walk in my house with a perfect heart. Ps. 101:2~

Hi! I am a hs Mo m of 1 6 y/o DD going into 2nd grade. She is involved w/ Sunday School/Church & plays w/ the neighbor children when they are not in school. She started girlscouts last year & has truly loved it!! I stay at the meetings & am a helper. We have GS camp this month & we're looking forward to it. It's always worth a try, You get out if ya'll don't like it

Wow! Thanks for the input! Now I'm getting curious as to what is the difference between 4H and Girl Scouts? Are the projects different? Do the girls do basically the same things with a different design (GS gives out patches, 4H is organized in this way...etc.)?

Wife of my best friend, Mom to two precious preschoolers, one precious newborn and one precious memory~I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way...I will walk in my house with a perfect heart. Ps. 101:2~

Violet wrote:Wow! Thanks for the input! Now I'm getting curious as to what is the difference between 4H and Girl Scouts? Are the projects different? Do the girls do basically the same things with a different design (GS gives out patches, 4H is organized in this way...etc.)?

I could be wrong but I think 4-H has more to do with animals than Girl Scouts.

4H went through a total reorganization about 4years ago and it is no longer just cows and cookies. They have added science, technology, engineering, public speaking, performing art, citizenship, ecology and leadership to their already existing animal husbandry, gardening, and home economics programs. They now have curriculum to go along with all of these areas that can be purchased and used by homeschool families. We have been pleasantly surprised and very happy with our involvement in 4H this year. I tried 4H about 12 years ago when my oldest two were 8 and 9 and dropped it after a year because it was just not designed for urban dwellers. You might want to check it out. I just called our county 4H extension agent and she came to my home and gave me a full presentation of what 4H has to offer and helped me start a club. It has been very rewarding.

I would say the difference between 4H and Girl Scouts is that GS is very structured and badge oriented whereas, 4H is more flexible. Anything that your kids are interested in doing 4H will find a way to give them an outlet for it.

Again, thank you everyone for your replies. Cheryl, that was indepth and gave me lots to think about. I'll look into it!

Wife of my best friend, Mom to two precious preschoolers, one precious newborn and one precious memory~I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way...I will walk in my house with a perfect heart. Ps. 101:2~

My daughter used to be involved with Girl Scouts, but after discovering that they were supports of Planned Parenthood, we decided not to participate anymore. I found a really neat group called American Heritage Girls - which is alot like Girl Scouts in the way of earning badges and ranks, etc., but is Christ-centered. I have copied and attached some quotes from the founder of AHG from a website - google them if you would like - American Heritage Girl.

We are Christ-centered, not spiritually principled (GSUSA's words), and that makes a huge difference. Controversy has followed the Girl Scouts for some time. The Cincinnati, Ohio-based American Heritage Girls was formed in 1995 after "flexibility" was adopted within the Girl Scout promise, allowing girls to replace the word "God" with concepts of their own choosing. Other efforts include a push to de-feminize the program by removing badges for all traditionally feminine or domestic-related pursuits and replacing them with career-focused activities.

Just wanted to throw another option out for you - it is a great organization and the troop I started has grown from 18 girls to about 31 in 2 years.

Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. Proverbs 31:28

I'm in 4h and it's a real good program. I have really learned a lot about animals. In 4h you can take anything from cooking to pigs. Last year I took cooking pigs and sewing. You can take woodworking, photography, cooking, sewing, dioramas, and the like. It is a lot of fun. The first time you get judged it's a tad nerve-wracking. Once you get used to it it's so much easier. I love 4-h!!! In our club, if you are in kindergarten you are a cloverbud. They do projects but don't get judged. Once you hit 3rd grade you're a real member. If anyone has any other questions just pm me. I've been in a long time so I should be able to answer your questions.

I just got my younger daughter involved in Daisies which I guess is the Kindergarten version of GScouts. So far she loves it. She is also going to go to GS camp w/ her sister this summer for the first time. I can't wait to see how that goes. I just read through the brochure and it seems like a ton of fun. They both have friends who have gone to the camp last year and they had a great experience.

I know I missed it when you all were discussing it, but another option is Keepers at Home/ Contenders for the Faith. Keepers is the girls side, Contenders is the boys. We have just recently joined this group and really like what we see so far.

First, there are Bible badges the kids can earn. The memorize passages, sometimes entire chapters, and earn badges for them.

Second, there is no national lever watching over you to make sure you do it any particular way. Each group is very unique, as there are no set guidelines you have to follow in how the group is ran. (They do have some set rules as far as how to earn the badges.)

Third, the boys and girls meet at the same time, different parts of the same house. For all five of them to be involved, I only have to go one place.

Fourth, it teaches the girls things they will have to know to manage a home when they are adults, and the same for the boys.

Fifth, it's less expensive than most as there are no national/ state/ district/ or local dues. A group may choose to have dues if they so desire, but it is not a requirement. Our group doesn't have dues, we provide the materials our child/ren need/s.

Some may say I'm closed minded, but I would not put my kids in scouts because of them supporting Planned Parenthood and the whole girl power mindset that was there when I was in GS. I'm not judging, just telling why we don't do that group. Keepers/ Contenders gave our kids goals to work for, the friendships, etc.. but also allowed for me to have control over what they are being exposed to.